The increasing numbers of squat and dumpy children in British families is not due to poor diets and a lack of exercise as first thought but is, experts believe, a symptom of the proliferation of widescreen televisions in the nation’s homes.

The Pentagon’s decision to release home videos of Osama bin Laden’s life in his Pakistan compound has backfired following growing public concern over the small television set the leader of al-Qaeda had to make do with to watch his favourite programmes.